Special K: Not Just A Breakfast Cereal

By Susan Hubenthal

The use of mind-altering drugs is recorded throughout the history of the world. Some cultures have incorporated certain drugs into their religion and say the benefits are therapeutic, raise conscientiousness, spirituality and a better understanding of life and awareness.

There is no doubt these drugs can be harmful. Psychoactive drugs such, as ketamine, aka Special K, is now the drug of choice for many partying young people. Sadly, most of them are not informed about the dangers of using these drugs or told how to minimize risk. School educational programs are largely to blame for this lack of information.

Since the prohibition of illicit drug use, the numbers of addicts and drug users has NOT declined. However the ”war on drugs” has filled our prisons to capacity (and then some) with about four hundred thousand non-violent drug offenders. The current drug educational programs in our schools continue to be ineffective and costly. It hasn’t been successful and studies have shown the incidence of drug use among those who have completed drug educational programs are MORE inclined to use drugs than those who did not participate. It’s incredible! The kids think it’s a joke! They are intelligent and should be told the truth, not the glossed over syrupy sweet “just say no” drivel!

Ketamine is mainly used in veterinary hospitals. It is sold commercially as Ketalar. It is a powerful anesthetic used by Veterinarians. It comes in both liquid and powdered form. It can be snorted, swallowed, or injected in a muscle or vein. Ketamine is dissociative in action; this means it feels as if the mind is separated from the body. It causes hallucinations and can cause the user to feel as if they have entered another reality and because it is an anesthetic it can block the feeling of pain, which can cause injuries the user doesn’t feel. Ketamine increases heart rate, increases the effects of sympathetic nervous activity, increases blood pressure, cardiac output, bronchodilation, pupillary dilation and more. It has been reported that on occasion eating or drinking before taking ketamine may induce vomiting and/or temporary paralysis. Tolerance to ketamine can be built up if used on a regular basis, but it is still unknown whether ketamine use leads to psychological or physical dependence.

There are many dangers in injecting ketamine or any drug for that matter. The sharing of needles can cause the spread of HIV, hepatitis, AIDS, tetanus and other diseases. If needles must be shared, they need to be cleaned properly before use. The best prevention is to join a needle exchange. A user can never be certain what substance is being injected, so it’s important to know how strong the drugs are what is being used, and what is the tolerance level if usage has been stopped for awhile. Overdose and/or death can occur when injecting any illicit drugs.